Diagnosis Murder
by Sleuth Girl
Summary: When Biff's girlfriend witnesses a murder it's a race against time to find the killer before he finds her. Frank and Joe are trying to save their friend's lives and catch the bad guy, but will a twist in the murder diagnosis leave them at a loss? R&R!
1. Who Needs Geometry?

**_Disclaimer: I do not (and unfortunately never will) own any of Mr. Dixon's characters. But I do own my own original characters. But Jay and Nic do belong to another writer, United. Enjoy!_**

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Diagnosis Murder:

Chapter 1: Who Needs Geometry? A Murder Case is Much Better:

We had five minutes left in Geometry on the last day of my Sophomore year at Bayport High. I ran a hand through my blond hair and glanced up. Across the room was one of my good friends, and Biff Hooper's girlfriend, Hope. She had moved to Bayport at the beginning of the school year, and soon became a close friend. She had her head in her hands and she looked up at me. Her light brown bangs fell in front of her sapphire blue eyes. She gave me a smile and we both started to laugh because we were both losing our minds just waiting for 2:10 to come.

"Is everyone finished with the exam?" our Geometry teacher, Mrs. Lyle asked. Some kids nodded but the majority of the class ignored her and just kept watching the clock. I glanced down at the exam in front of me. _I hope I passed_, I thought just as the bell rang.

"Finally," I breathed. I got up from my desk and stretched my six foot frame. Hope came over to me, glowing from the excitement of the last day of school.

"That test was killer, huh?" She commented in a chipper voice.

"Yeah, I'm just glad that school is over, this summer is going to be awesome!" I said as we walked out the door. We strolled down the hallway dodging our other classmates as they ran to the nearest exits. Around all of the commotion we saw a group of our friends walking towards us.

"How was the Geometry exam? Did you pass the class?" My tall, brown haired, brown eyed older brother, Frank, asked me, punching me in the arm.

"I hope so, how was your Chem final?" I asked Frank, Phil, and Tony.

"Hard, as usual, but I'm sure we all did fine," Brown haired, hazel eyed, 17 year old, Phil Cohen said, adjusting his sleek glasses.

"That's easy for you to say," My brother said to Phil.

"Yeah, of course you passed Phil, what do you have in that class? A 99.9?" Dark haired, dark eyed 17 year old, Tony Prito said, rolling his eyes.

"So, your the brains in this group, huh Phil?" 16 year old, Hope said laughing.

"Nah, Frank's much smarter than me," Phil said, joining in the laugher.

"Hey, I'm not the one with a 99 in Chemistry," Frank smirked. Then we saw Biff, Jamie, Nic, and Chet coming down the hallway towards us.

"Hey guys! Ready for summer?" Blond, beefy, blue eyed, 17 year old, Biff Hooper said to us as he walked over and gave Hope a kiss.

"Gym?" Hope asked them.

"Yeah! It was awesome! We played dodge-ball! Now that's what I call a final!" Dark haired, dark eyed, 16 year old Nic Prito said, still a little out of breath.

"Sounds fun," Tony said, giving his younger brother a smile, "Did your team win?"

"You know we did!" Blond haired, blue eyed, 16 year old, Jamie Hooper chimed in.

"Fun? I wouldn't call getting pummeled with dodge-balls fun," Red haired, green eyed, 17 year old, Chet Morton mumbled as we walked out to the student parking lot together.

We neared the parking lot doors. Down the hall to my right I heard three familiar voices.

"Hey guys!" Jerry Gilroy, Vanessa Bender, and Callie Shaw chorused as they headed towards us. Blond haired, grey-blue eyed, 16 year old Vanessa came over to me and gave me a huge hug and kiss.

"What was that for?" I asked with a sly smile.

"It's summer Joey! I am so happy! Next year we will be Juniors!" she exclaimed, fully knowing I hated to be called Joey. I saw blond haired, green eyed, 17 year old Callie head over to Frank and give him a small peck on the cheek. They aren't much for public displays of affection.

"Hey Jerry!" Tony bellowed, "Are you going to the summer soccer camp this year?"

"Of course I am! We have to get ready for next year! Varsity man!" Tan haired, brown eyed, 17 year old, Jerry howled in good spirits. Tony and Jerry were both well known soccer stars here at Bayport High. Biff and Chet were the football jocks. Phil ran cross country and was an ace tennis player. While Nic and Jamie were on the basketball team as well as on the swim team and baseball team with Frank and I. And we were all on the high school track team. Vanessa, Callie, and Hope were on the volley ball team, so we would all be attending the High School sports camps this summer.

Jerry pulled out his soccer ball from his gym bag and he and Tony started passing and kicking it across the small field next to the parking lot. Biff intercepted an air born pass from Tony, jumping with his powerful legs.

"Looks like you guys will need a little more practice if you want to make Varsity next year," Biff teased, handing the ball back to Tony, who gave him a sarcastic smile and laugh. After a few more minutes of friendly chatter we all went our separate ways. We decided to meet at Vanessa's house, right outside of Bayport, tomorrow evening for a summer cookout.

"See you all tomorrow night!" Vanessa said waving good bye to and blowing a kiss and a wink in my direction. Her grey-blue eyes sparkled in the summer sunlight. Then we all parted. Biff, Jamie and Hope got into the boy's hunter green pick-up truck and headed for the downtown district of Bayport, where Hope lives. Phil, Tony, and Nic all piled into Phil's silver hybrid car and sped off towards the neighborhood they all lived in. Jerry and Chet hopped in their cars and headed away from the school. Both Chet and Jerry were "car freaks." Chet drives an old, yellow Mustang, which he often refers to as "The Queen," and Jerry drives a 70' turquoise Barracuda. Vanessa and Callie drove of next in Vanessa's yellow BMW. Frank and I were the last ones in the parking lot except for a few other empty cars.

"So how do you really think you did on the Geometry exam?" Frank asked turning to me.

"Fine," I said quietly as I got into the passenger seat of our black van, "I think I did fine."

"Are you sure?" Frank said with a little concern. He knew I was struggling keeping my C in that class.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said and the rest of the drive was silent. I'm glad Frank knew to drop the subject. We pulled into the garage and our mother, Laura Hardy, was waiting for us at the front door.

"How was your last day of school boys? Ace all of your exams?" She said in a cheerful voice.

"I hope so," Frank said with a smile. I nodded and smiled too.

"Well I am sure you both did fine," she said eyeing me a little. I smiled again to reassure her that I did do okay, even though I wasn't too sure.

* * *

The next day I was awakened by the sound of my brother's voice.

"Joe! Come on Joe get up!" Frank said as he walked closer to my bed. He came over and opened my blinds bit I hid my head under the covers.

"Come on Joe! It's almost noon! We have to be at Vanessa's by three!" Frank's muffled voice rang through the covers to my ears. Then I felt the cool air conditioned air against my skin as Frank ripped off my blanket.

"Three! Then why do I have to get up now? It's summer..."I trailed off grabbing the covers and laying back down. I heard Frank laugh a little, but I really didn't see how me being tired and wanting to go back to sleep was so funny.

"Because Joe," Frank said with a glint in his brown eyes, "Chief Collig has a new case for us...a murder case!"

"Murder?!" I exclaimed, bolting up out of bed.

"I thought that'd get you up," Frank said, still laughing under his breath.

"Well c'mon Frank," I said pulling on a navy blue t-shirt, khaki shorts, and Sanuk shoes. I saw Frank rolling his eyes at me as I checked my appearance in the mirror.

"What? I want to look nice for the Chief!" I said with a sarcastically huge grin.

"Not Vanessa?" Frank smirked.

"Ha ha," I said before I punched him in the arm and ran down the stairs, skipping the last two with a jump,

"Morning Joe," I heard my father say from the kitchen without even looking up from his news paper. He knew I was the brother who always skipped the last two steps with a jump. _He knows me too well. _

"Morning dad," I said, looking around the kitchen as Frank walked in, "Where are mom and Aunt Gertrude?"

"Grocery shopping, it's almost noon you know," Our father, renowned detective and private investigator, Fenton Hardy, said with a smile.

"So I've been told," I said sneaking a look at Frank, who just laughed at me.

"By the look in your eyes I assume Chief Collig told you about that new murder case?" dad asked.

"He told _me,_" Frank interrupted, "Joe was too busy sleeping!"

"Whatever. what's it all about? C'mon Frank, spill the beans."

"Actually, he didn't give me any details, he just said it was a murder case," Frank said, taking a bite of an apple.

" Oh, I see how it is, Mr. Early Riser is just as much in the dark as me," I said with a smile as I downed a cup of coffee and grabbed a bagel.

"Yeah, and we'll never find out if we don't get down to talk to the Chief...now," Frank said starting for the door.

"I just got up Frank!" I joked, eating my breakfast as fast as I could. Dad just laughed at me as Frank rolled his eyes.

"C'mon little brother," Frank mumbled, grabbing our keys and tossing mine at me. We walked out the front door, hopped on our motorcycles, and slipped on our helmets. As we revved up our engines and pulled into the street I looked up and gave my dad a little salute, Frank gave him a wave as well and then we took off towards the police station.

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_**A/N: Well there's the first chapter! Hope you like it so far, I know nothing much has happened yet, but background is necessary. I will post more in a day or two! Review please! **_


	2. A Change of Pace

Diagnosis Murder:

Chapter 2: A Change of Pace

I pulled my truck into the driveway of Hope's yellow, Victorian house. We were planning on going to the downtown farmers market to pick up a few things for Vanessa's cookout. I started to approach the front porch but the screen door opened before I reached it. Hope came down the front steps, her Berkinstock sandals shuffling on the cobblestone path. Hope's flowered summer dress blew in the breeze as she walked towards me. Everything looked normal, until my eyes reached her face. It was much paler than usual and her eyeliner ensconced blue eyes didn't have the sparkle they usually did.

"Hope! What's wrong?" I gasped, she looked scared and very tired. Usually Hope was a bundle of energy and excitement, but she was the total opposite today. It was just so weird to watch her walking so solemnly towards me.

"I-I just had a long night Biff, that's all," she said as she stood on her tip toes to give me a kiss.

"Are you sure? You look like you just saw a ghost!" I said as I opened the passenger door to my truck for her.

"Well," she paused, "Biff, I'm really scared!" she said finally.

"What? What is it Hope, you can tell me," I said grasping her trembling hand in mine.

"Biff," she whispered, "I-I witnessed a m-murder last night!"

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"Ah boys, I'm glad you're here!" Chief Collig bellowed, running a hand through his grey streaked hair, as we walked into his office.

"How could we miss out on a case like this Chief?" Frank said. Chief Collig was a long time friend of our father's and had often appreciated our help, even when we were "amateurs." But now we were official, well almost. You see the Chief gives is cases and we solve them, we won't become real detectives until we are out of College. But our work is strictly for the benefit of Bayport, not us, if you catch my drift.

"Yes, well I though a change of pace would be nice," Collig said with a smile.

"Murder is quite the change of pace!" I joined in, "So give us the details! Who was it? Any leads? Any suspects? Any witnesses?"

"Actually yes, there was a witness," Chief Collig said in a monotone, "I'm afraid the murderer might have seen her too. She is in grave danger," he added.

"Who?" Frank said at the edge if his seat, "Anyone we know?"

"Yes, it was Hope."

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As we drove to the farmer's market Hope explained everything to me. She had been awakened by the sound of a fight in her next door neighbor, Mr. Harlen's, house. She went to her bedroom window which looks out onto his back porch. She told me that she saw him fall as he opened the sliding glass door and a man holding a gun came out.

"The gun must have had a silencer on it, because I never heard the gunshot, but Con Riley told me that that was how Mr. Harlen's was murdered," Hope explained.

"Please tell me that guy didn't see you," I said in a panic stricken voice. Hope nodded and my heart nearly stopped.

"He did, he saw me, at least I think he did," she said breaking down, "But the police, they-they told me I would be fine because it was so dark and he could have never seen my face, but Biff, oh Biff, I'm not so sure. I'm really scared."

"It'll be okay Hope, I promise, nothing will happen to you," I said pulling into a parking space, I turned and looked deep into her sullen, blood shot, eyes, "I promise."

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"Hope!" Frank gasped.

"Now don't jump to conclusions boys...yet at least," the Chief told us, "It was dark and the murderer couldn't possibly have seen her face. She couldn't see his face so we think she is safe."

"You _think_," I said sneaking a glance at Frank, his eyes were wide. We both loved Hope to death, she was kind, witty, smart, beautiful, artistic, and not to mention our best friends girl friend. We weren't about to let anything happen to her.

"Well we are working on tracking down the killer as we speak," Collig said, "but we don't have much to go on. Hope called 911 right away, but naturally there was no evidence, except for the body, when we arrived."

"Alright then, we'll keep our eyes and ears open," I said.

"We better get over to Vanessa's, Biff said he was taking Hope to the farmers market out there so she's in good hands," Frank said walking to the door.

"I'll keep you posted," the Chief added as we left.

"I just hope that she will be okay until we get to talk to her," I said to Frank.

"Me too Joe, me too."

I knew Hope and knew she was a very strong willed girl. But I also knew how tender she was too. Although she had a rough and tumble exterior, she was a very gentle soul. I was worried what kind of emotional impact this would have on her. Or if Biff, even though he was the only one able to calm Hope down, would be able to help her through this emotional wringer Hope must be going through.

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_**A/N: Thank you for your reviews so far! I would like to clarify that yes Frank is 17 and Joe is 16. It's not really in UB format but is told from first person POV similar to the UB's but I use other's POV's and not just Frank and Joe's. That makes sense right? Sorry, this chapter is shorter than I thought, but enjoy! Oh and review please!**_

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	3. A Taste of Something Much Bigger

Diagnosis Murder:

Chapter 3: A Small Taste of Something Much Bigger:

Somewhere outside of Bayport:

"Did she see you John?" a man in black clothing with matted brown hair, and inset brown eyes asked me.

"No...yes...I don't know. Listen O'neil, all I know is that it was my first job and I think I did pretty damn well for myself, and so what if some girl saw me? My face was covered, and I got out of there as soon as I saw her through the window," I said a little shakily.

"It does matter, what if she saw you before you put the bullet in Harlen, you know when you delivered his Chinese food?" O'neil argued.

"Okay, so what are we supposed to do about it then? Huh? We don't even know who the girl was!" I shot back.

"Oh contraire my friend, we _do_ know who the girl is, _and _you won't guess who some of her friends are," O'neil said in a sinister voice.

"We do? Who?"

"The girls name is Hope Peters and two of her very good friends are Frank and Joe Hardy," he replied as his lips curled into a devilish grin.

"The Hardys," I said under my breath before mimicking O'neil's sinister smile.

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As soon as Frank and I had left the police station my phone started to ring

"Hello?"

_"Joe, its Biff."_

"Oh Biff," I replied looking at Frank, "we were sort of just talking about you."

_"Listen Joe we need to talk. It's about Hope."_

"Uh, this wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a murder last night, would it?" I said hesitantly. Frank reached for my phone but I pulled away anxious to hear Biff's reaction.

_"Yeah! How did you know?" _

"Well...umm..." before I could say anything Frank snatched my cell away from me. I grumbled but realized he was better suited to discuss this situation with Biff than I was.

"Hello? Biff, it's me Frank. It looks like Joe and I are going to be helping out with that case, I hope that's alright?" Frank asked. He nodded some and added some uh-huhs and mhmms. But otherwise I had no idea what Biff was saying to him. Finally he hung up and tossed my phone back to me.

"Hope's freaking out a little," Frank said with a grim expression

"Well wouldn't you be Frank? I mean there's a killer running around who may or may not know who Hope is, and want her out of the picture!" I blurted out. He nodded, deep in thought.

"I guess we can see how she's doing when we get to Vanessa's," Frank surmised. I looked at him worriedly. We both knew, regardless of the fact that there's a killer on the loose, Hope wouldn't like the idea of any protection. Not from us and especially not the police. The only person she'd ever listen to was Biff. I suppose we'd just have to talk him into talking her into some sort of deal. I just hoped we weren't sending him into the lion's den.

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_**A/N: Okay once again sorry about the shortness of this chapter. Also sorry about the lack of action, trust me it will get better! Also thanks to your reviews! Keep 'em coming! I'll have the next chapter up in a few days.**_


	4. Vanessa's Party

Diagnosis Murder:

Chapter 4: Vanessa's Party:

We arrived early to Vanessa's to help her get ready for the party. She lived on the outskirts of town in a quaint old house her and her mother, Andrea, had fixed up. I could smell the salty air that came off of the ocean not too far from her house. Many times we had sat back and enjoyed the sunset from her front porch. It was amazing to watch the sun melt down behind the cliffs above Barmet Bay.

When we pulled up I could already see Vanessa, Andrea, and Callie building a bonfire in their fire pit to the right of the house.

"Hi there!" I called out as Vanessa ran over and embraced me in a warm hug. Frank was already helping Andrea and Callie out with the fire.

"Hey Joe? Have you heard anything from Biff?" she asked.

"Biff? No why?"

"Oh, well Hope called me about an hour ago to ask what she should get at the farmers market and she just sounded...err...different. Just not herself."

"Oh yeah, well about that..." I was interrupted by the sound of a car engine behind us, and turned to see Biff's truck pulling up to the house, "Here let's talk to her about it."

"Hey guys! How goes it?" Biff boomed in his normal, cheery voice. I saw Hope hop out of the massive truck. _Wow, she does look different. _I mean Hope is usually beaming, cheerful, carefree, but something about her didn't seem right...at all.

Biff walked over to her and wrapped his burly arm around her waist and seemed to whisper something in her ear, and she nodded and attempted to put on the biggest smile she had in her. Vanessa gave her a quick once over and then a worried glance towards me.

"Hi Hope, how are you?" I asked as carefully as possible. At this point Callie and Frank had come over to greet them and he was just as weary about freaking her out as I was.

"I'm fine Joe, thanks. By the look on both of your faces," she said, with an almost happy glint in her eye, nodding to me and Frank, "I assume that you have already had a chat with Chief Collig."

"Uhh, yeah...about that, we were kind of assigned to the case. I hope that's okay?" Frank interjected.

"Yeah, it's fine," Hope replied with a wave of her hand and a smile, she almost looked completely normal by now, "Why should me being a witness keep you from your sleuthing?" I couldn't help but laugh a little, _at least she still has her sense of humor._

"Would someone mind telling us what's going on?" Vanessa asked. She and Callie pushed past me a little. But before we could explain anything we noticed two other cars rolling up. _Well the gangs all here. At least we won't have to explain this multiple times._

Phil and Jamie were the first to reach us. That's when I noticed the confused look on Jay's face. He pushed past his older brother to face Hope with Phil close behind.

"Hope are you okay? What's going on?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine, why do you ask?" she replied yet again, but this time trying to act as if she had no idea why Jamie was so concerned.

"Your mom called over to the house this morning after Biff left. She wanted to make sure you were alright or if _Biff_," Jamie said raising his eyebrows at his brother, "was planning on checking in anytime soon."

"She did what?" Hope practically exploded in Jamie's face. By now Tony, Chet, and Nic were standing behind her listening in on the conversation. Hope then turned to Biff, "Does she think I need you to baby sit me or something?"

Hope was the most independent person we knew. No matter what, she always went her own way and never needed anyone to stand by her. However her mother thought otherwise. Merrylee is a kind, gentle hearted woman but when it came to the safety of her children she was even worse than our mom, and trust me our mom is worries...a lot. It didn't strike me odd at all, especially considering Hope's current circumstances, that Mrs. Peters would be checking up on her daughter. But I also knew that Hope's free spirit would not be wielded by her mom.

Along with her sovereignty, Hope was extremely most stubborn, impulsive, and temperamental. Frank often compared us as twins in our personalities. I suppose that's why Hope and I got along so well together. But just like Frank, Biff was there to balance Hope out and he was the only person she would let take care of her. And sometimes that responsibility fell hard on his shoulders, like right now.

"Hope, it's okay she's just concerned. Don't worry I wasn't baby sitting you," Biff tried to calm his girlfriend down. Frank who was standing next to me whispered something in my ear.

"Now who does she remind you off?"

"Very funny," I whispered back sarcastically. By now Biff's soothing words had calmed Hope down enough to attempt to explain her situation to the rest of our friends.

"Woah," was the simultaneous reaction.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Hope said trying to assure Callie and Vanessa who were currently in a state of shock. The girls all headed off to the house to start fixing dinner while Frank and I were left to fill in the blanks.

"Is she _really_ going to be fine?" Tony asked in concern.

"I don't know, Chief Collig said he had in under control, but we still think Hope could be in danger," Frank responded.

"And knowing Hope she'll never let anyone look after her," I added, which got affirmative nods from everyone. But I could see Biff's face was still heavy with worry.

After most of the discussion of the case and Hope had dissolved Biff pulled me away from the group.

"I want you and Frank to keep an eye on Hope," he said in a firm tone.

"What? Biff if she found out she'd kill us and then go after you," I replied half laughing, but still serious about Hope's temper.

"I know but you guys are the detectives, you've been on many stakeouts, how hard can it be to keep an eye on a sixteen year old girl?" Biff said his blue eyes shining. We both broke out laughing, because we knew Hope would be harder to keep an eye on than most criminals. But finally I gave in and said that along with working on the case Frank and I would both keep an eye out for Hope.

The rest of the night went smoothly, until we all dispersed and Frank found a note addressed to us on the windshield of our van.

"Who knew we were here? And why didn't we hear or see them?" I asked anxiously. Frank just shrugged and unfolded the note. It read as follows:

_**-Frank and Joe Hardy,**_

_**We know that you are investigating the Harlen murder case.**_

_**We also know that your little friend Miss Peters happened to get private view of the crime scene.**_

_**Don't worry she's safe...for now at least.**_

_**You better watch your back boys.**_

_**Or else...**_

_Damn_. This case just got a lot more personal...and dangerous.

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**_A/N: I really appreciate the reviews I have received. Thank you! So here's the next one, what do you think? I'll update in another couple days! R&R please!_**

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	5. A Strange Twist

Diagnosis Murder

Chapter 5: A Strange Twist:

"Did Mr. Harlen have any known enemies Chief?" I asked running a hand through my unusually messy brown hair. We had been going over the case for over an hour now but still hadn't found anything to go on.

"Not that any body knows of. Apparently Dave Harlen only left his house to go to the supermarket and pharmacy, that's it."

"Odd," my father mumbled. He shuffled through the papers in front of him for the umpteenth time, "Who would want to kill a harmless man like Dave?"

"Well that's where we come in," Joe sighed from next to me. The three of us nodded in agreement.

"Do you think we could take a look at the crime scene?" I asked, suddenly anxious to do anything other than sitting here making no progress. The Chief silently got up and went to retrieve Officer Con Riley to take us the scene.

"Come on guys, I'll take you over there," Con peeked into the small room we were occupying. Both Joe and I jumped up, ready to do some real investigating.

"I'll see you back at the house boys," my father called after us, but Joe and I were already out the front doors of the police station.

The drive through downtown Bayport was a short one and we soon pulled up in front of Mr. Harlen's home. I was excited to investigate but the menacing note Joe and I had found at Vanessa's was still weighing heavy on my mind.

How were we supposed to protect Hope and solve this case at the same time? They counter balanced each other. If we snooped too much Hope's life was at stake, not to mention our own. But if we didn't try to help the investigation then there would be a killer loose in Bayport, and Hope's life would still be at stake.

As we entered the house there was an ominous chill in the air. The three of us ducked under the yellow police tape. Inside the house was fairly normal. No furniture out of place, no sign of a struggle, nothing. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was the desk in the far right corner of the living room.

There was a chair knocked onto the floor, some scattered papers, and a few take out containers lying on the floor.

"Take a look around boys. Forensics has already been through here, didn't find much. But your welcome to 'snoop' around for a while," Riley said, then disappeared out the front door when his cell phone started to ring.

Joe and I looked around but came up empty handed. I walked over to the desk to see if there was a clue to why Mr. Harlen was murdered.

"Wait a second, Do you smell something?" I asked Joe.

"What?"

"I smell something, it-it smells...I dunno...it just smells, can't you smell it Joe?" I said.

"Forget to take a shower Frank?" he teased.

"No, not that Joe, it smells like some sort of poison!" I said searching around the desk.

"Poison? You mean Mr. Harlen was poisoned?" Joe said now searching with me. I nodded in agreement. Then picked up a Chinese take-out container.

"Look, this is where it's coming from. These noodles, they were poisoned." I said.

"At least we think they were poisoned," Joe corrected me taking the carton from me, "I still can't smell anything man. You must have a super nose or something," he muttered as he inspected the food.

"Yeah, hey what are you doing?" I asked as he pulled out an empty plastic bag from his pocket and picked up a noodle with some chop sticks.

"Hungry?" I snickered.

"What am I? An idiot?" Joe said rolling his eyes. He then started to place a noodle in the bag.

"What _are_ you doing Joe?" I asked, eyeing me.

"Taking some to go, you know just in case I _get_ hungry," he said sarcastically, "What do you think I'm doing? I'm taking some to the forensics lab to get it analyzed."

I smiled and knew Joe had seen. I rarely admitted it, but sometimes Joe could be really smart.

* * *

Walking up the mosaic tiled front steps to Hope's house, all I could picture was her smiling face. A petite blond woman in a paint splattered smock appeared at the ornate screen door.

"Hey Mrs. Peters!" I said as she opened the door for me.

"Good morning Biff," she said, her bright turquoise eyes shining, "Sorry I'm a bit of a mess, I've been painting all morning in the workshop."

Hope's mom, Merrylee, was a painter, sculpture, potter, sketch artist, photographer, you name it she does it. Their whole house was an art studio, mosaic tiling on the front porch, murals in every room, and every piece of china they owned was hand made by Hope and her mom. Their basement had been converted into a painting studio and you rarely saw her mom without her paint smock on. Hope's father was an architect and had built a ceramics studio for Hope on her 16th Birthday, which she used all the time.

"No worries, I wouldn't recognize you without your smock and paint brush!" I said with a cheeky smile. Merrylee laughed with the same soft, bubbly laugh that Hope had.

"Is Hope here?" I asked looking around the spacious living room. Hope's 15 year old brother, Timmy, was sitting on the couch, eyes glued to his surfing magazine and her father was no where to be seen.

"Actually Biff, I don't exactly know where she is," her mom said wiping some paint of her cheek with the back of her hand.

"What? Is she okay?" I asked, wide eyed.

"Biff, calm down, she's fine, all I meant was that she didn't say where she was going, only that she needed some time to think," Mrs. Peters reassured me, "Gosh Biff, maybe you should stop hanging out with Frank and Joe so often, they've got you all...jumpy!" she said laughing again. She knew of the mysteries and trouble that Frank and Joe had gotten into, _and_ their reputations around Bayport for it too.

"I'll take that into consideration," I laughed, "Well thanks Mrs. P, I'll let you get back to your work," I said, rushing out to my truck, not even waiting for Mrs. Peters to reply. _I know exactly where Hope is._

* * *

Driving on the old Shore Road brought back memories of past mysteries and adventures I had had with Frank and Joe. Pulling onto a small dirt road I drove about 200 yards until I came upon a small, white, cottage looking building. It was ensconced in lush green grass, pink geraniums, and a few cherry blossom trees. The door was framed in aqua glass tiles, as was the small bay window. There was a dark purple Subaru Baja parked out front. I parked my truck next to the car and walked up to the front door. To my amazement it wasn't locked.

I was still having a hard time grasping how stubborn and ignorant Hope was being. She knew the danger and that there was a killer on the loose, who knew exactly who she was. Sometimes I think when it comes to Hope's safety it's more of a burden on me than her.

Opening the white door a wave of music hit me. I recognized it instantly, _the CD I burned for her. _The song playing was some Jack's Mannequin song.As I silently closed the door and made my way out of the mud room and further into the large open room, the smell of clay and Hope's sweet perfume filled my nose.

To my left was a set of wooden cabinets and a small table with a couple of painted stools around it. The ceilings were at least 12 feet high and the music echoed throughout the large room. To my right were a few more cabinets with paint and glazes, and a rolling cart to the right of that. Next to the cart was the kiln, _impressive_, I thought as I peeked inside. In the back of the room, in front of a huge mural filled garage door, I could see huge buckets filled with all types of glazes for dipping, _Hope would be proud of my extensive ceramics knowledge._

There were some more tables in the back along with a plaster slab and three huge sinks. The garage door was partially open letting in the summer sunlight. And in the middle of it all sat two wheels, and on the one to the left was Hope. Her back was to me, so I walked over to the garage door and stood admiring the view until I heard the wheel stop and looked up to see Hope staring at me with furrowed eyebrows and a smirk on her face.

"Hey," I said, nonchalantly.

"Hi?" Hope said and her voice actually cracked.

"I thought you'd be here," I said walking over to her and inspecting her latest project.

"How did you? The door was...? But...? How...? Why...? Biff...?" Hope stuttered out, her eyes still wide.

"Your mom told me you went out to think, and I _know_ this is the only place you come to think. Unlike normal people who usually go the library or someplace quiet..." I explained,

leaning on the edge of her potters wheel and poking her pot with my index finger.

"Hey!" she said slapping me on the wrist with her wet and clay covered hands. We laughed and washed our dirty hands in the metal sinks at the back of her workshop.

"You know babe, you probably shouldn't come out in the middle of nowhere, without telling anybody where you're going, and then leave the door unlocked when there's a criminal on the loose who may or may not be looking for you," I said.

"I didn't mean to leave the door unlocked," Hope said with a sheepish smile, "And yeah you're right, but I just...I just..."

"I understand." I interrupted. She smiled warmly at me. _God she's beautiful._

"I still don't get how you knew I would be here," she said, scraping some excess clay off of the wheel.

"I guess I just know you too well Hope," I said glancing outside through the half open garage door. Hope came close to me and embraced me in a warm hug.

"You know what? I'm glad you know me too well Biff," she said as she reached up and kissed me.

* * *

_**A/N: Sorry I can't help but put a little fluff in here. More mystery and action to come though! Thanks for the reviews! Updates may come a little less often because the school year is starting soon...ugh...and I'm starting up a new series too. Please review! Thanks!**_


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